/telepathy/
What's The Plan?
...
The sun was ready to retreat for the night as it painted the sky various shades of red. Schuldig and Farfarello sat on the edge of the sidewalk in a comfortable silence, waiting for Brad and Nagi to finish their conference so they can get this mission on the road.
Schuldig stared down at the ground and picked up a couple of stray rocks. He tossed them over in his hand as he thought about his and Nagi's small field trip earlier that day. Something happened to Nagi back there. Schuldig wasn't a mind reader for nothing. Watching Weiss together, being so close to normal turned some gears in the telekinetic's mind. It was not very often, after all, that he ever laughed; let alone actually allow someone else to see it.
Farfarello, on the other hand, had been staring directly at the sky. "Looks like blood," he finally commented.
Schuldig lifted his head up and looked at the streaks of red in the sky. "How symbolic."
"Do we get to kill Weiss tonight? Streak the sky with their blood?"
Schuldig let out a small, forced laugh. "You really are psychotic, you know that?"
"Yes," Farfarello replied seriously and watched the sky.
~
"You're back early." Brad looked up at Nagi past the rim of his glasses.
"It wasn't a difficult assignment," he replied and allowed himself to take a seat in a chair facing Brad.
"Then I suppose that means you have something substantial for me."
"I do."
"And Schuldig wasn't too much of a distraction?" Brad sat back in his seat and watched the momentary look of surprise flash on the young boy's face.
"You had a vision that he came with me?" Nagi assumed.
"No," came the coldly amused reply. "I saw you leaving together out of this window."
Nagi raised an eyebrow. "You're not angry."
"I would be had you not found anything, but you seem to be rather confidant." Brad stood and leaned forward on his desk.
"Truth be told, Schuldig did more help than harm on this assignment."
"And why did he decide to go in the first place?"
Nagi shrugged. "Probably just bored," he lied. A knot twisted itself in his stomach. If Crawford knew he was covering for Schuldig he'd probably be punished more than the perpetrator. Brad had been known to hit Nagi from time to time for good measure. It was nothing unexpected. 'Crawford's not the telepath, Crawford's not the telepath, Crawford's not the telepath,' he repeated to himself.
Brad frowned at him. "Out with it, then. What's Abyssinian's weakness?"
Nagi focused his eyes back on the older man and decisively replied, "Siberian."
Brad's lips curved up a bit to the right. "Perfect."
~
"So what's the game plan, Red?" Yohji sprawled himself out on the couch they kept in the basement and stretched his legs over the edge.
"I have a name," Ran frowned.
"I'm sorry," Yohji faked sincerity. "What's the plan, R~an." He rolled his 'r' for emphasis, which he received another scolding look for. Only Ran's family ever called him by his real name, and he'd rather hang himself than admit that Weiss had become his family now.
"Yohji-kun," Omi nudged him gently from his seat on the arm rest of the couch. Ken smiled at them from his seat in the large chair on the opposite side of the room. Ran stood in front of them with a manila envelope resting lightly in his grip.
"No targets in this mission," he began as he pulled out a few sheets from the envelope. "Manx has gone over the story on this which you should all be familiar with. This is not a complicated assignment. There are eight floors to this building. We'll take two floors each, setting up the explosives in the designated areas. Yohji and Omi, you will take the bottom four floors. Once you're finished, leave the building and give us the signal that you're out. Ken and I will take the top four. We'll meet on top of the roof and detonate the bombs from there. We'll have approximately ten minutes to vacate. We meet down the street. Questions?"
Yohji raised his hand.
"Questions pertaining to the mission."
Yohji lowered his hand.
"Aya.." Ken spoke up and shifted in his chair. "How will we get off the roof in ten minutes?"
"Eight stories isn't too high. We can make it down the fire escape in five."
"If Schwarz is there..." Omi looked down at the ground. He hated fighting them. It was always too close of a call for him. Besides, he had to ignore his conscience every time he aimed an arrow at the seemingly defenseless Prodigy.
"Then we'll do what we always do," Ran responded cryptically.
"And what's that?" Omi persisted.
"Improvise."
"That what I was afraid of."
"Missions are... a big deal to you, aren't they, Aya?" Yohji sat up on the couch and looked causally over at their leader.
Ran had no response.
"What makes you say that, Yohji-kun?" Omi asked for him.
Appropriately, Yohji spoke to Ran as he answered the question. "I never hear you talk more about anything than about a mission."
Ran had no interest in sticking around to hear anymore. They were loosing time as it was and he still needed to polish his katana. He walked over to the staircase and made his way out of the basement.
"Yea, you know Aya. No harm can be done to a mission." Yohji stood up and stretched.
Ken stood up, too and made his way up the stairs. "Actually, I think it's more like no harm can be done to us."
Yohji's eyes widened for a moment but quickly returned to their regular suaveness before anyone noticed the change. Hey, maybe Ken was right for once.
~
"Let's go. If we don't leave now, we'll just miss them." Brad announced to everyone as he walked out through the front entrance and to his car. Nagi followed him out of the building, and Schuldig and Farfarello lifted themselves off the sidewalk at the sound of their teammates approaching. Brad unlocked his car and slid into the driver's seat. Schuldig plopped down next to him, and Farfarello and Nagi took their places in the beat seat.
Nagi fixed his attention to his window, as he often did. Brad hadn't told him what he planned on doing with the information he gathered, but he had some ideas of what would go on tonight. He got a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that he didn't quite know what to do about.
/How'd the meeting go with Brad?/
Nagi's thoughts were discontinued as Schuldig's voice echoed through his mind. /He knows you went with me./
Schuldig's eyes widened a bit in the front seat. /Does he know why?/
/No./
/You're a good kid./
/That's comforting to know seeing as I'll be expected to do some serious killing in about twenty minutes./
Schuldig's laugh resonated through Nagi's mind, but the car remained completely silent. /You won't be killing anything tonight, little one. Unless maybe you step on a lizard./
Nagi raised an eyebrow. /Really? What makes you say that?/
/That nervous feeling in your stomach. Since when are you nervous about missions?/
No direct response from Nagi, but Schuldig felt a sudden rush go through the boy's mind. /I'm not nervous./
/I'm IN your head. You can't lie to someone who is actually IN your head./
Nagi looked cross, but decided to let it go. No matter how good a liar you are, it just won't work on someone who can read your mind like a book. Known for his erratic topic changes, he clearly thought, /You never told me what Bombay dreams about./
/I meant not to./
/Why?/
/I don't like to play with destiny too much. It'll affect your judgment./
/Destiny?/ Nagi's mind laughed. /Manipulating destiny is your job./
Schuldig chuckled. /Believe me, little one. You're confused right now./
/I can't believe this. You're telling me how I feel?/
/Is that really so hard to believe? You're stuck between what you know and what you want./
/Get out of my head./
/Make me./ And so, Nagi made him.
What's The Plan?
...
The sun was ready to retreat for the night as it painted the sky various shades of red. Schuldig and Farfarello sat on the edge of the sidewalk in a comfortable silence, waiting for Brad and Nagi to finish their conference so they can get this mission on the road.
Schuldig stared down at the ground and picked up a couple of stray rocks. He tossed them over in his hand as he thought about his and Nagi's small field trip earlier that day. Something happened to Nagi back there. Schuldig wasn't a mind reader for nothing. Watching Weiss together, being so close to normal turned some gears in the telekinetic's mind. It was not very often, after all, that he ever laughed; let alone actually allow someone else to see it.
Farfarello, on the other hand, had been staring directly at the sky. "Looks like blood," he finally commented.
Schuldig lifted his head up and looked at the streaks of red in the sky. "How symbolic."
"Do we get to kill Weiss tonight? Streak the sky with their blood?"
Schuldig let out a small, forced laugh. "You really are psychotic, you know that?"
"Yes," Farfarello replied seriously and watched the sky.
~
"You're back early." Brad looked up at Nagi past the rim of his glasses.
"It wasn't a difficult assignment," he replied and allowed himself to take a seat in a chair facing Brad.
"Then I suppose that means you have something substantial for me."
"I do."
"And Schuldig wasn't too much of a distraction?" Brad sat back in his seat and watched the momentary look of surprise flash on the young boy's face.
"You had a vision that he came with me?" Nagi assumed.
"No," came the coldly amused reply. "I saw you leaving together out of this window."
Nagi raised an eyebrow. "You're not angry."
"I would be had you not found anything, but you seem to be rather confidant." Brad stood and leaned forward on his desk.
"Truth be told, Schuldig did more help than harm on this assignment."
"And why did he decide to go in the first place?"
Nagi shrugged. "Probably just bored," he lied. A knot twisted itself in his stomach. If Crawford knew he was covering for Schuldig he'd probably be punished more than the perpetrator. Brad had been known to hit Nagi from time to time for good measure. It was nothing unexpected. 'Crawford's not the telepath, Crawford's not the telepath, Crawford's not the telepath,' he repeated to himself.
Brad frowned at him. "Out with it, then. What's Abyssinian's weakness?"
Nagi focused his eyes back on the older man and decisively replied, "Siberian."
Brad's lips curved up a bit to the right. "Perfect."
~
"So what's the game plan, Red?" Yohji sprawled himself out on the couch they kept in the basement and stretched his legs over the edge.
"I have a name," Ran frowned.
"I'm sorry," Yohji faked sincerity. "What's the plan, R~an." He rolled his 'r' for emphasis, which he received another scolding look for. Only Ran's family ever called him by his real name, and he'd rather hang himself than admit that Weiss had become his family now.
"Yohji-kun," Omi nudged him gently from his seat on the arm rest of the couch. Ken smiled at them from his seat in the large chair on the opposite side of the room. Ran stood in front of them with a manila envelope resting lightly in his grip.
"No targets in this mission," he began as he pulled out a few sheets from the envelope. "Manx has gone over the story on this which you should all be familiar with. This is not a complicated assignment. There are eight floors to this building. We'll take two floors each, setting up the explosives in the designated areas. Yohji and Omi, you will take the bottom four floors. Once you're finished, leave the building and give us the signal that you're out. Ken and I will take the top four. We'll meet on top of the roof and detonate the bombs from there. We'll have approximately ten minutes to vacate. We meet down the street. Questions?"
Yohji raised his hand.
"Questions pertaining to the mission."
Yohji lowered his hand.
"Aya.." Ken spoke up and shifted in his chair. "How will we get off the roof in ten minutes?"
"Eight stories isn't too high. We can make it down the fire escape in five."
"If Schwarz is there..." Omi looked down at the ground. He hated fighting them. It was always too close of a call for him. Besides, he had to ignore his conscience every time he aimed an arrow at the seemingly defenseless Prodigy.
"Then we'll do what we always do," Ran responded cryptically.
"And what's that?" Omi persisted.
"Improvise."
"That what I was afraid of."
"Missions are... a big deal to you, aren't they, Aya?" Yohji sat up on the couch and looked causally over at their leader.
Ran had no response.
"What makes you say that, Yohji-kun?" Omi asked for him.
Appropriately, Yohji spoke to Ran as he answered the question. "I never hear you talk more about anything than about a mission."
Ran had no interest in sticking around to hear anymore. They were loosing time as it was and he still needed to polish his katana. He walked over to the staircase and made his way out of the basement.
"Yea, you know Aya. No harm can be done to a mission." Yohji stood up and stretched.
Ken stood up, too and made his way up the stairs. "Actually, I think it's more like no harm can be done to us."
Yohji's eyes widened for a moment but quickly returned to their regular suaveness before anyone noticed the change. Hey, maybe Ken was right for once.
~
"Let's go. If we don't leave now, we'll just miss them." Brad announced to everyone as he walked out through the front entrance and to his car. Nagi followed him out of the building, and Schuldig and Farfarello lifted themselves off the sidewalk at the sound of their teammates approaching. Brad unlocked his car and slid into the driver's seat. Schuldig plopped down next to him, and Farfarello and Nagi took their places in the beat seat.
Nagi fixed his attention to his window, as he often did. Brad hadn't told him what he planned on doing with the information he gathered, but he had some ideas of what would go on tonight. He got a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach that he didn't quite know what to do about.
/How'd the meeting go with Brad?/
Nagi's thoughts were discontinued as Schuldig's voice echoed through his mind. /He knows you went with me./
Schuldig's eyes widened a bit in the front seat. /Does he know why?/
/No./
/You're a good kid./
/That's comforting to know seeing as I'll be expected to do some serious killing in about twenty minutes./
Schuldig's laugh resonated through Nagi's mind, but the car remained completely silent. /You won't be killing anything tonight, little one. Unless maybe you step on a lizard./
Nagi raised an eyebrow. /Really? What makes you say that?/
/That nervous feeling in your stomach. Since when are you nervous about missions?/
No direct response from Nagi, but Schuldig felt a sudden rush go through the boy's mind. /I'm not nervous./
/I'm IN your head. You can't lie to someone who is actually IN your head./
Nagi looked cross, but decided to let it go. No matter how good a liar you are, it just won't work on someone who can read your mind like a book. Known for his erratic topic changes, he clearly thought, /You never told me what Bombay dreams about./
/I meant not to./
/Why?/
/I don't like to play with destiny too much. It'll affect your judgment./
/Destiny?/ Nagi's mind laughed. /Manipulating destiny is your job./
Schuldig chuckled. /Believe me, little one. You're confused right now./
/I can't believe this. You're telling me how I feel?/
/Is that really so hard to believe? You're stuck between what you know and what you want./
/Get out of my head./
/Make me./ And so, Nagi made him.